Device for feeding yarn to multifeed circular knitting machines



LTIFEEQ 3,264,845 ES 5 Sheets-Sweet 1 Aug. 9, 1966 K. I. J. ROSEN DEVICE FOR FEEDING YARN To MU CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHIN Filed Nov. 16. 1964 INVENTOR Aug. 9, 1966 K. 1. J. ROSEN 1,

DEVICE FOR FEEDING YARN TO MULTIFEED CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 3,264,845 DEVICE FOR FEEDING YARN T MULTIFEED CHRCULAR KNITTHNG MAHINES Karl lisac Joel Rosn, Villa Haga, Ulricehamn, Sweden Filed Nov. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 411,209 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 22, 1963, R 36,618 10 (Ilaims. (Cl. 66-132) This invention relates to a device for feeding yarn to multifeed circular knitting machines so that yarns may be fed to the different feeders with a constant speed corresponding to the yarn consumption and without any slippage.

An object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the surface contacting the feeding tape is broader than the tape so that the tension of the yarn at the outlet therefrom controls and guides the yarn fed at the inlet side.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the tension caused by the yarn consumption at the knitting location will feed the yarn to the feeding side of the roller so that the yarn will always be caught by the feeding tape.

A further object is to provide a construction wherein when there is a breakage of the yarn at the knitting location the decrease in tension of the yarn will be reflected at the inlet side of the feeder so that an indication lamp will be lighted and/ or the machine stopped.

A further object of the invention is to be seen therein that also when at several knitting places no more yarn is to be fed and the yarn is cut off from the machine and is to be retained, the feeding of the yarn by the feeder according to the invention is automatically interrupted and there is no longer required any complicated guides as the case was in previously known constructions with slipfree feeders.

A still further object of the invention is to provide guiding means for the yarn which can be adjusted in such a way that tension variations will not result in a transverse displacement of the yarn on the roller in relation to the direction of travel of the feeding tape and thereby disconnect the machine.

With the above and other objects in view which will become apparent from the detailed description below, some preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the upper portion of a circular knitting machine having a yarn feeder according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a partial plan view of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view with parts shown in section of the inlet side of the feeder.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIGURE 3 with parts shown in elevation taken at right angles to FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of FIGURE 3 with the cover of the housing removed.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an electrical switch located in the housing.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a modified construction of the feeder.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional View taken upon section line VIIIVIII of FIGURE 7, and

FIGURE 9 is a partial bottom plan view of the construction shown in FIGURE 7 illustrating particularly the guide for the yarn.

The circular knitting machine shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 has a cylinder with twelve feeders. The stand 1 carries a plate 3 having twelve arms 4 each of which has a bearing housing 5 for a roller 6 rotating about a shaft. The feeding tape 7 coacts with the rollers 6. The plate 3 .has a central post 8 supporting a carrier with twelve United States Patent 0 M Patented August 9, 1966 arms 9 for the yarn spools 11 and a ring 13 by means of the rods 12. The endless feeding tape 7 coacts with the outer circumferences of the rollers 6 and is driven by means of a central driving disk 14 attached to the upper end of a shaft 15 journalled in the plate 3 and driven by means of the sprockets 16 and 17 via a chain 18.

Each one of the bearing housings 5 is provided with a guide for the yarn 19 which is drawn off from a yarn spool 11 associated with a roller 6 via the ring 13. This yarn guide is provided with an eye 21 fixed to a standard mounted on the housing 5. On this standard are mounted on a shaft 23 two circular journalled disks 24 urged against one another by means of a spring 22 on shaft 23. A second eye 26 is provided at the free end of a swingable lever 25. A guide 27 fixed to housing 5 makes an acute angle with the plane of the feeding tape 7 and extends essentially over the whole width of the running surface of the roller 6. The guide 27 has an are shaped groove 28 and an extension 29 fixed to housing 5. The guide 27 has the groove 28 so shaped and formed that the tangent at every point of guidance for the yarn 19 in the groove 28 inclines so that the projection of the component of the resultant of the tension forces on the yarn before and after the guiding groove 28 equals zero so that the variations in the tension of the yarn 19 will not result in any displacement of the yarn transverse to the direction of travel of the feeding tape 7.

The roller 6 has a cylindrical running surface 32 limited at the bottom by a projecting flange 31 serving as an abutment for one edge of the feeding tape 7. The running surface 32 is wider than the tape 7. The tape 7 resting with its lower edge against the flange 31 extends over only approximately half the running surface 32 which in this range is provided with rectangular notches 33 serving for removing impurities from the running surface.

The side of the housing 5 situated exactly diametrically to the lever 25 is provided with a second swingable lever 35 carrying at its free end a yarn eye 34. The levers 25 and 35 are fixed to a shaft 36 journalled in the housing 5 being a part of a wire forming the lever 25 and the eye 26. A fixed bushing (not shown) is arranged for carrying the shaft 36 in the wall of the housing 5 on the side of the lever 25.

On the side of the lever 35 there is arranged a rotational pivot bearing 37 which extends as an enlarged hollow cylinder 38 over a part of the shaft 36 which in this range carries a sleeve 39 fixed to the shaft. The sleeve 39 is connected to the hollow cylinder 38 by means of a coil spring 41 of copper bronze, said spring 41 being arranged in the hollow cylinder. A knurled disk 42 is connected to the pivot bearing 37 outside the housing 5. By rotating the pivot bearing 37 and thus also the hollow cylinder 38 the disk 42 can adjust the pre-tension of the coil spring 41.

The lever 25 due to the turnable bearing by means of the shaft 36 is swingable in clockwise direction from the operative position in FIG. 3 to an inoperative position forming an angle of 45 between these two positions. In the operative position the yarn is fed through the eye 26 to the lowermost point of the groove 23 in the guide 27 which is situated in the lower half of the. range of the running surface 32 of the roller 6 in contact with the feeding tape 7 so that in this operative position of the lever 25 the yarn is fed to the feeding tape 7. In the inoperative position, the yarn 19 is fed through the eye 26 to the guide 27 at a point above the upper edge of the feeding tape 7 so that the yarn is fed to a part of the running surface 32 of the roller 6 which is out of contact with the feeding tape 7. The lever 35 is in contact with the shaft 36 so that when the lever 25 is in inoperative position the lever 35 takes an essentially horizontal position.

The pre-tension of the spring 41 is, by means of the knurled disk 42, adjusted in such a way that the lever 25 by means of the spring 41 is retained in the inoperative position. The yarn 19, fed by means of the feeding tape 7 through the eye 34 of the lever 35, is fed downwards to the associated knitter of the roller 6 so that the yarn consumption at this knitting place creates a tension of the yarn which in turn causes a swinging of the lever 35 in counter-clockwise direction (according to FIG. 3). By means of the knurled disk 42 the pre-tension of the spring 41 is now adjusted in such a way that the torsion caused by the yarn tension and acting against the lever 35 is greater than the return force caused by means of the spring 41 so that at knitting the lever 25 connected to the lever 35 is always retained in its operative position.

The housing is at its upper end closed by means of a removable cover 44 in which there is arranged a red indication lamp 45. For the electrical connection of this lamp 45 and for stopping the knitting machine at interruptions in the yarn consumption there is arranged an electric switch 46 which can be connected when the levers 25 and 35 deviate from their operative positions. Two cam disks 47 are arranged on the shaft 36 and electrically connected thereto. The disks 47 cooperate with flat springs 48 and 49, respectively, serving as electrical contacts. These two fiat springs have one of their ends fixed to the bottom of the housing 5 by means of screws 51. The free ends of the springs 48 and 49 abut against the lower ends of screws 520 and 530 screwed into a body 540 attached to the bottom of the housing 5. By turning screws 520 and 530 they are axially displaced and change thereby the positions of the flat springs 48 and 49 in relation to the came disks 47 so that the angular positions of the shaft 36 are exactly adjustable in which positions the switches, formed by the cam disks 47 and the fiat springs 48 and 49 are connected. The shaft 36 is by means of the spring 41 electrically connected to the hollow cylinder 38 and thereby to the pivot bearing 37 which can be fixedly connected to one pole of a source of current, e.g. to earth, so that in spite of the pivot bearing for the shaft 36 there is obtained a continuous contact with the cam disks 47. The two flat springs 48 and 49 are by means of the screws 51 connected to one terminal of the lamp 45 and one terminal of a relay disconnecting the knitting machine.

The operation of the yarn feeder described causes during knitting a tension from the knitting place on the yarn 19, said tension holding the lever 35 against the force of the spring 41 in the position shown in FIG. 3 in which the lever 25 is in its operative position in which the yarn 19 is drawn off from the yarn spool 11 and through the eye 26, and the guide 27 between the running surface 32 of the roller 6 and the feeding tape 7 without any slipping to the knitting place. However, as soon as the yarn consumption at the knitting place of one of the rollers 6 is interrupted the tension from the knitting place on the yarn 19 ceases so that the spring 41 swings the two levers 35 and 25 from the positions shown in FIG. 3 in clockwise direction about 45 to the inoperative position of the lever 25 in which the yarn 19, drawn off from the yarn spool 11, is guided to the running surface 32 of the roller 6 over the feeding tape 7. Here, the yarn is no longer trapped by the feeding tape 7 and thus no more positively fed. Simultaneously, the cam disks 47 contact the fiat springs 48 and 49 of the switch 46 so that the indication lamp 45 is connected and the knitting machine disconnected. The operator of the knitting machine can now immediately be informed by means of the indication lamp 45 in which feeder there is trouble.

In a modified embodiment of the switch 46 the cam disks 47 can be shaped in such a way that they are in contact with the fiat springs 48 and 49 also when the lever 25 in counter-clockwise direction is moved from its operative position so that conditions are indicated when by means of the yarn consumption at the knitting place there is caused a tension exceeding the normal and thereby the lever 35 is swung from the position shown in FIG. 3 further downwardly.

In another simplified embodiment the yarn 19 instead of the levers 25 and 35 is fed from the outlet over the yarn at the inlet of the guide 27 so that the downwards directed tension from the knitting place keeps the yarn at the inlet in the range of the feeding tape 7 of the running surface 32. If the guide 27 is shaped in such a way that the component of the resultant of the tension forces acting on the yarn before and after the feeding tape projected on its tangent in the point in question is directed upwardly, the yarn will be fed upwards on the inlet side along this feeding path as soon as the tension from the knitting place ceases.

It is quite evident that the yarn feeder described is easily adjusted at each one of the feeders so that only the fibres at the outlet side, have to be slackened in such a way that the levers can be swung to the inoperative position. One only has to pay attention that the switch 46 does not disconnect the knitting machine.

In the above described embodiment with reference to FIGS. 36, the yarn 19 is fed directly from the eye 34 on the lever 35 to the knitting place. It might occur, due to the location of the knitting place, that the yarn makes different angles with the lever 35 resulting in different tensions in the part of the yarn 19 laid about the roller 6.

In FIGS. 7-9 there is shown an embodiment of the device according to the invention -in which this drawback has been eliminated. In this embodiment, as in the one described in the aforegoing, there is arranged a guide eye for the yarn 19 which also in this case is fed to a guide eye 26 on the lever 25. The yarn is thereupon led by the guide 27' and is laid about the roller 6, the running surface 32 of which in this case is formed by rods 50, with the spaces between the same corresponding to the ports 33 described above for removing impurities.

Also this device is provided with a feeding tape 7. The lever 35 corresponding to the lever 35 is in this embodiment provided with an elongated end portion 52 carrying two eyes 53 and 54 and being swingable between two abutments, viz an upper abutment 55 and a lower abutment 567 The yarn 19 is fed first through the eye, 53, then under the lower abutment 56, thereupon through the eye 54 and to the knitting place. Irrespective of the direction of the yarn 19 between the eye 54 and the knitting place it will between the lower abutment 56 and the eye 53 always have essentially the same direction and therefore variations in the tension of the yarn portion situated before the eye 53 always will be essentially independent of the location of the knitting place in relation to the eye 54.

As obvious especially from FIG. 8 the abutments comprise the ends of a bent wire 57 which is clamped against the arm 4 by a stirrup 58 by tightening of a screw 59.

The guide 27 comprises in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 a bent wire. The manufacture will be simpler and cheaper and the attachment of the guide is facilitated. This can be done by means of a screw 60 as indicated at the under side of the roller 6. By means of this shaping of the guide path 27 the latter is easily adjusted with regard to its inclination. Also the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-9 is provided with an alarm lamp 45.

The invention has been described in the aforegoing for purposes of illustration only and it is not limited to the described embodiments shown.

What I claim is:

1. A feeder for the positive feeding of yarn to a multifeed circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder and a driven feeding tape comprising rollers for guiding said tape along a path about the axis of said needle cylinder and feeding yarn to a plurality of feeders with speasas constant speed in correspondence to the yarn consumption, each of said feeders having an inlet and an outlet for the yarn, yarn guides for guiding the yarn essentially in the longitudinal direction of said feeding tape between the mutually contacting surfaces of said feeding tape and said rollers, said rollers each being provided with a running surface for contracting said feeding tape, said running surfacebeing broader than said feeding tape and means responsive to the yarn tension at said outlet for displacing the yarn at said inlet transversely of the direction of travel of said tape on said running surface.

2. A feeder as set forth in claim 1 wherein means are provided for operating a signal lamp and disconnecting the knitting machine when said yarn is displaced away from the travel of said tape on said running surface.

3. A feeder as set forth in claim ll wherein a curved yarn guide is located at said inlet making an acute'angle with the direction of travel of said feeding tape and extending substantially over the entire width of said running surface.

4. A feeder as set forth in claim 3 wherein means are provided for feeding said yarn to said feeding tape located above said inlet and said curved yarn guide is inclined so that the component of the resultant in the guiding point of then tension forces acting on the yarn before and after said curved yarn guide projected on the tangents of said curved yarn guide is directed upwardly.

5. A feeder as set forth in claim 3 comprising a first swingable lever carrying at its free end a yarn guide eye arranged before said curved yarn guide at said inlet and a second swingable lever carrying at its free end a yarn guide eye arranged at said outlet directing the yarn to the knitting place, said two levers being coupled to each other, said guide eye at said inlet being swingable by means of a swinging of said levers in relation to said feeding tape from an operative position in which the yarn is fed to said feeding tape into an inoperative position in which the yarn is fed to a portion of the roller running surface situated outside said feeding tape, a spring holding said levers in inoperative position, the force of said spring being lower than the oppositely directed effect of the tension exerted on said yarn guide eye at the outlet.

ti. A feeder as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second lever is provided with an elongated end having two guide eyes, said elongated end cooperating with an upper and a lower abutment, the yarn first passing through the inner eye, then under said lower abutment, thereupon through the outer eye and finally to the knitting place.

7. A feeder as set forth in claim 5 wherein said two levers are coupled to one another by a shaft, pivot bearings for said two levers journalled about said shaft connecting said two levers, said spring comprising a helical spring, one end of said spring being connected to said shaft and the other end of said spring being connected to said pivot bearings.

8. A feeder as set forth in claim '7 wherein means are provided cooperating with said shaft for operating a signal lamp and disconnecting the knitting machine when said yarn is displaced away from the travel of said tape on said running surface.

9. A feeder as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means cooperating with said shaft comprises an electrical switch, cam disks on said shaft interconnecting said levers and flat springs cooperating with said cam disks to form electrical contacts.

10. A feeder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said curved yarn guide comprises a wire stirrup whose ends are clamped to the bottom of said feeder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,658,367 11/1953 Shortland 66--132 3,083,924 4/1963 Vossen et al 66-132 X 3,090,215 5/1963 Rosen 66132 3,124,947 3/1964 Farmer 66132 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

P. C. FAW, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FEEDER FOR THE POSITIVE FEEDING OF YARN TO A MULTIFEED CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A NEEDLE CYLINDER AND A DRIVEN FEEDING TAPE COMPRISING ROLLERS FOR GUIDING SAID TAPE ALONG A PATH ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER AND FEEDING YARN TO A PLURALITY OF FEEDERS WITH CONSTANT SPEED IN CORRESPONDENCE TO THE YARN CONSUMPTION, EACH OF SAID FEEDERS HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR THE YARN, YARN GUIDES FOR GUIDING THE YARN ESSENTIALLY IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID FEEDING TAPE BETWEEN THE MUTUALLY CONTACTING SURFACES OF SAID FEEDING TAPE AND SAID ROLLERS, SAID ROLLERS EACH BEING PROVIDED WITH A RUNNING SURFACE FOR CONTRACTING SAID FEEDING TAPE, SAID RUNNING SURFACE BEING BROADER THAN SAID FEEDING TAPE AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE YARN TENSION AT SAID OUTLET FOR DISPLACING THE YARN AT SAID INLET TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID TAPE ON SAID RUNNING SURFACE. 